Food security plan needed, says Woolies boss

Australia needs to take wide-ranging actions to ensure the long-term security of its food supply and role as a global agricultural powerhouse,
Woolworths
boss
Michael Luscombe
has warned.

Speaking at a Melbourne conference yesterday, Mr Luscombe said he had asked former prime minister
Kevin Rudd
to establish a ministry to oversee the entire food production supply chain and called on Prime Minister
Julia Gillard
and Opposition Leader
Tony Abbott
to take up the suggestion.

Mr Luscombe said the four major challenges facing Australia’s agricultural sector are increasing production without further degrading the environment, securing new opportunities for commercial food producers at a time when other countries can offer lower-cost labour, top-shelf technology and government subsidies, increasing skills in the agricultural sector and establishing Australia as a leading global brand for “clean, safe and available" food.

Although Australia had previously provided more food than the nation needed, population growth had combined with factors such as climate change to put pressure on the environment.

“Food is our fourth-biggest export. We are the food bowl not just for the nation but for the world,’’ he said.

“However, one thing very certain in my mind is that past performance is not any guarantee of future success. In our food growing regions and our oceans there are signs . . . that all is not rosy for the future.’’

The proposed mining tax had focused debate on the value of the nation’s minerals wealth and similar attention should be paid to agricultural and marine assets, he said.

Last week Mr Luscombe called on the world’s leading retailers to adopt common standards for reporting their progress on corporate responsibility and sustainability.

Related Quotes

Company Profile

Mr Luscombe, who attended last week’s Consumer Goods Forum in London, said it was time for “progressive" retailers to come together to establish their own set of global reporting guidelines which reflected the nature and challenges in the retail sector.

“Often the triple bottom line is viewed as an attempt by corporations to avoid legislation and taxation and generate a fictitious people friendly and green-washed image," he said. “I believe lifting the standard of sustainability for the retail sector is critical to avoid scepticism about corporate responsibility."

A meaningful set of indicators would help drive investments which delivered long-term sustainable benefits rather than short-term fixes.

Woolworths has some of the most challenging sustainability targets of any retailer. It is aiming to achieve an overall 40 per cent reduction in CO2-e emissions by 2015, reduce plastic and cardboard waste in the general waste stream to less than 1 per cent and reduce water use by 200 million litres.